- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
MojoDec 18, 2013A remarkable, wonderful calling card. [Jan 2014, p.100]
-
Dec 3, 2013Sumie is not a record for all times, but when the moment strikes, it will deliver--with disarming simplicity--an intoxicating mixture of purity and potency.
-
Dec 2, 2013There are the purely lovely moments like "Midnight Glories" that help make Sumie a quietly compelling, inviting full-length introduction to an artist who can't help but bewitch listeners willing and able to embrace her stillness.
-
Dec 2, 2013Her ability to micromanage is clearly great. It’s not the most unique take on folk, but it is rife with charm; her intimate, sympathetic sounds soothe the most restless minds.
-
Dec 2, 2013There is undeniable beauty lying in each of these ten offerings, but when listened to in one sitting, they lose their individual draw.
-
UncutFeb 3, 2014Sumie blends Japanese and Scandinavian folk, singing crisply over repetitive acoustic guitar patterns. [Mar 2014, p.83]
-
Dec 13, 2013Appropriately, her mellow voice layered upon rounded instrumentation makes the album blend into one long, sophisticated lullaby.
-
Dec 11, 2013Too often, it seems like the singer is leading us into blind alleys, stringing words together willy-nilly on bead chains, then scattering them like sparkling baubles in a heap.
-
Dec 5, 2013At her best, Sumie evokes the poeticism of Joni paired with the headiness of Mazzy Star. But given the songs’ lack of variation in tone and tempo, an EP might have offered a more focused introduction.
-
Dec 2, 2013The unhurried pace and her soft intonation make a mildly intoxicating combination, most notably on Never Wanted to Be. But well before the end of this 33-minute album I was longing for a change of pace, or something unexpected.